Autonomous vehicles use artificial intelligence to aid in the transport of passengers. When travelling from one location to another, autonomous vehicles may use inertial navigation systems to determine their location and ensure that they are following a correct course. Such inertial navigation systems may use a computer and motion sensors to continuously calculate, via dead reckoning, the position of vehicles on the road.
In some instances, the motion sensors may include wheel sensors for measuring the speed and direction of the wheels of autonomous vehicles. Using wheel sensors, however, may present several challenges. Wheel sensors are ordinarily attached to the wheels of vehicles where they are exposed to harsh operating conditions. For instance, wheel sensors may be easily damaged when a vehicle runs over a pothole or collides with a curb. Furthermore, some wheel sensors, such as those found in anti-lock braking systems (ABS), may be ambiguous when a vehicle changes from forward to reverse motion. Thus, the integration of wheel sensors may be challenging from a design perspective and it may drive up the complexity and cost of wheel assemblies used in vehicles that use inertial navigation.